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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Every human is equal, but some are more equal than others.

I'm really starting to get annoyed by the amount of "professional" bloggers not being professional.

I'm not going to name names, of course. What these people do, though, is ridiculous! They are bullies, plain and simple.

They complain constantly about their lives, and the people in them. They call out groups of people, like fat people, minority religions, people with disabilities and make fun of them.

They call people words that I wouldn't use for my *cough* dear neighbors. And believe me, in anger, in the privacy of my home, I've called them a couple of nasty things.

I can here some of you saying, "Well just don't read it!" and you're right, I don't have to. And when I find out that someone in the blogosphere is like that, I just don't read their blog any more. I don't go on any campaign to cause them harm. They are allowed to have their opinion, no matter how hurtful it might be to others.

The thing that really bothers me is how many followers these people have, and the rate of increase. I've gone back to these blogs out of curiosity, hoping perhaps vainly, that my fellow humans will have some sort of compassion and dignity, and not want to be a part of such childish racism, sexism, and whatever-else-ism. I've apparently been mistaken, because these people have a jump in followers by 10 or so a day, on average!

I just don't get it. Why do so many people want to read things making fun of other people? A huge majority of North Americans are overweight, I would be that most of us know at least 3 people who are overweight. Including ourselves sometimes. So why do we want to read a blog bashing fat people? Most of us are probably related to at least one disable person - be it physically, mentally, or otherwise. Yet people are reading these blogs that are calling them derogatory names.

How many of our families have people from several different ethnic backgrounds? How many of us are a genetic "Heinz 57"? My own back ground is German, English, Irish, and Ukrainian, with a possible hint of Russian thrown in there. Sean is predominantly Welsh, but strangely enough he is actually part Mexican Indian, albeit a tiny part. I have a cousin who is married to a man from Mexico. I have several French relatives. And in amongst that extended family, there are Catholics, Atheists, Christians, Mennonites and everything (like me!) in between.

So why do we want to read someone's opinion on how everyone other than them is somehow less human?

What do you do when you come across these types of blogs? If you yourself read some, let me know why! No fear of bashing, just curiosity.

I'm Welsh, Irish, English, Scottish with a hint of German and Danish. But since the bulk of my ancestry is Celtic, and I've actually spent time in the UK where I felt incredibly connected to the place, I generally focus on that.

My husband, however, is of Mexican heritage, so I'm trying to think of how to honor that for my kids as we all progress in the Craft.

Wanted to add, since I apparently have something wrong with my brain and the ability to process what I read:

There will always be those who feel their own sense of righteousness comes from superiority. They forget that even within the Christian thought framework, Christ didn't come to save the righteous, but to heal the sinners. I think Jesus would be more likely to sit and eat with you and I, than those who have become modern day Pharisees.

But you and I have an amazing opportunity. Not only can we use our voices locally, but we can write about what we think, feel, and believe. And we can raise our children to go into the world and affect a change, in line with their conscience, and what they will know about the Earth, Balance, and faith.